


Project Lilac

by moodorbs



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Emotional Manipulation, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Nerris (Camp Camp), Trans David (Camp Camp), Trans Female Character, Trans Gwen (Camp Camp), Trans Male Character, Trans Max (Camp Camp), hi this is david he doesnt understand that its not ok to change peoples emotions, mtf ered, superhero au, theres no ships bc theyre all like 12 u creeps, trans ered (camp camp)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:16:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21774826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moodorbs/pseuds/moodorbs
Summary: Here you are, in buttfuck nowhere, watching a bunch of idiot kids using their even stupider abilities to do nothing more than piss each other off. If this is the new generation of heroes, America is royally fucked.
Relationships: david and gwen are qpps
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> SCREAMS ok heres the breakdown
> 
> CAMPBELL  
Quartermaster: ?????? probably omnipotent  
Cameron Campbell: Perception manipulation (lying level 99999)  
Gwen: telekinesis  
David: empath (and can manipulate others' emotions, basically a soother)  
Max: Resistant to others' powers  
Nikki: super speed  
Neil: Photographic memory  
Preston: Imitation (shapeshifty ooo)  
Harrison: Object teleportation  
Nerris: Can alter own stats  
Nurf: Cloning self for periods of up to 5 minutes  
Dolf: Pyrokinesis  
Spacekid: Invisibility  
Ered: Superhuman agility/reflexes
> 
> FLOWER SCOUTS  
Miss Priss: idfk  
Sasha: basically poison ivy  
Erin:???  
Tabii: can see peoples' pasts
> 
> WOOD SCOUTS:  
Pikeman: lets be real here probably nothing  
Petrol: Telepathy (communication)  
Snake: eye laser lmao  
Jermy Fartz: incredibly powerful. something like super strength???

Day one of superhero bullshit camp is up and running and you're very, very done. Yeah, you have the gene or whatever that's supposed to make you one of the tights-wearing assholes always on the news stopping crooks or giving candy back to babies or whatever, but you've got exactly zero powers. You thought they'd be able to tell you what you could do at the very least, but the testers just spewed some idiotic nonsense about "the X-gene affecting different people in different ways" and that you "need to mature more for it to become apparent" which your parents used as an excuse to try to convince you to stop taking your blockers. Easy choice--you never wanted responsibility anyway. But you still have to attend the training sessions, so here you are, in buttfuck nowhere, watching a bunch of idiot kids using their even stupider abilities to do nothing more than piss each other off. If this is the new generation of heroes, America is royally fucked.

One of them, who's dressed in some godawful community theater's idea of Shakespearean getup, is morphing wildly, switching between the other students and imitating their voices perfectly, which you have to admit is pretty cool. There's so much shit you could do with something like that. It's no use thinking about that, though, because your powers still haven't manifested and probably never will so you move your gaze to a different student, a short girl with giant green pigtails who's literally running rings around one of the counselors.

The counselor is currently trying to catch her and laughing nervously. He gestures to the other one, who rolls her eyes, flicks her wrist, and faster than you can say "overpowered" has everyone else stationary. You walk up to where they're standing. The redhead extricates himself from the green girl's grip and leaves her frozen in midair. He claps his hands and what parts of the campers that can move (so just their eyes) try to go to his direction.

"Gwen, you can let them go now. Gently, please." Gwen doesn't listen to the last part and at least three kids crash to the ground and dazedly stumble over to the tall one. "All right, guys, listen up! Welcome to Project Lilac. I'm David, and I'll be half of your guide team through the best time of your lives! My co-counselor is Gwen, and we've both been briefed on each one of you so we can do our best to help you grow during your time here! There's facilities specially designed for each of your individual skill sets, but before we check those out, let's take a deep breath and calm down so we can introduce ourselves."

As he says that, you feel a weird tingly force pushing against you. Everyone else seems to calm down visibly, but you don't, you're just pissed he'd try to use his schtick on you. The others don't mind, or can't tell, and they're visibly relaxing and assembling into a circle.

"Okay, guys, gals, and nonbinary pals, let's go around and say our name, our pronouns, and what we can do! This'll give us all a chance to see how we can help out our peers, and hopefully challenge one another to grow and develop into the heroes I know you can be! I'll start. I'm David, I use he/him, and I'm an empath. Does anyone know what that means?"

One of the kids, the one in the eyesore-yellow shirt, raises their hand. "It's someone who has the ability to read and manipulate the emotions of others. Examples include President Washington and sixth-grade teacher Mrs. Finney."

David beams. "Yes! Very good! Why don't you start with the introductions, then?"

The kid gets this self-satisfied grin that you want to punch and starts. "Right. I'm Neil, he/him, and I have a photographic memory. Not the kind you're thinking of--I've never forgotten anything. If I learn something, I have perfect recall. It's not as fun as you'd think, but it can come in handy at times."

Great. He's a kiss-ass and a grudge-holder. That's not someone you want to cross, no matter how much you're tempted.

The green-haired kid zips over, raises her hand, and starts chatting at a speed you can't comprehend. David puts his hand on her shoulder and crouches down to her eye level, a feat that's made even more impressive by the fact that she's literally vibrating in place. "Look, can we slow that down a bit for the others? I get you go super fast, and that's awesome! I don't think the other trainees can understand it very well, though, so do you think you can go from a ten to a five?"

The kid nods, which just looks like a blur replacing her head, and David probably sends another blast of soothing towards her because she does, actually, slow down to the point where you can make out what she's saying.

"I'm Nikki, I dunno what a pronoun is but I'm a girl, and my mom says I'm the human equivalent of unprescribed Adderall but I'm not too sure what that means so I'm gonna assume that's a compliment!"

You can't help responding to that one. "Yes, it's one of the highest forms of praise that could be given to you. I'm sure your fantastic mother was absolutely astounded that her darling daughter brought to mind illegal methamphetamines."

Gwen glares at you. "Hey, if you're so eager to share, why don't you go next?"

"Fine. Max. He/him. No powers."

All eyes swivel to you. You hear undercurrents of whispering and know exactly what they're saying: _No powers? At all? How'd he get here? What the fuck?_ It's fine. You're used to being the odd one out. You're absolutely chill with it. Once again, you're different, set apart from the rest of your so-called peers. It was inevitable.

David crouches down in front of you and you refuse to make eye contact.

"C'mon, sport. There's gotta be something you can do. If you couldn't, you wouldn't be here! Maybe you're just a late bloomer!" He sends another pulsating wave of calmness to you, which you reject. It pisses you off, how he thinks his abilities can solve everything, and you tell him as such.

"It's not like you need to make any real connections! You just shove your hoodoo right into people's brains and boom, they're telling you who hurt them as a child! Don't even try it on me, buddy, because even if I can't do anything to you with special brain juice magic, I will teleport you into world of pain that you'll be fucking begging to be let out of faster than your mom left your dad after seeing your ugly little mug staring up at her in the hospital!"

Surprisingly, David doesn't really respond. He just looks at you, your chest heaving, your face red, with an expression of...awe? What?

"You can tell when I'm using my powers?"

Okay, so you just roasted him like a well-done steak, and that's what he's worried about?

"Yeah, can't everyone? It's all tingly. I dunno how the others don't, it's annoying as shit."

David puts a hand on your shoulder and turns away. "Hey, Gwen, send the others back to the dorms. And stay back." You make a move to leave but the hand on your shoulder presses down harder. "You're staying too, bud. There's something I need to figure out."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> comments give me life.............message me @ tumblr 17000teeth if u have any Good IDeas i just might add em.................. wink wonk

Gwen shows up after a while, having escorted the others back to the dorm space and helping them get settled in. David tried to get you into a conversation, but gave up when you pulled out your DS and booted up (at full volume) the most annoying game you had. Emotional conversations tend to fizzle out real quick when every other sentence gets interrupted by a voice proclaiming you're even better than Mama. David walks over to Gwen, and despite them talking in hushed tones you can kind of make out what they're saying. Some stuff about powerlessness and could the tests have been wrong and impossible, that's never happened before bullshit that's just another example of adults trying to control your life.

After a bit, David comes back over. "Thanks for waiting, champ. Can we try something real quick?" The sooner you get to bed the better, so you shrug and he grins. "Right, Gwen's going to lift you up real quick. Try to get back down." Suddenly you're off your feet. It's not that hard to try to get down, honestly, just a matter of rejecting the energy, and you plop onto the sand with little effort. David looks stunned and asks Gwen if she'll bring you back to the dorms. You follow after her, excited at the prospect of finally taking a nap and disappearing into oblivion for an hour or two before dinner.

Gwen seems content to walk in silence, which you appreciate, but as you cross into the main hall of the dorm you're greeted with an unpleasant surprise. Your luggage is next to the hallway marked Girl's Wing in bright pink letters."Okay, what the fuck? Did they not read my goddamn form? Max. Not a girl. What the hell is this for?" Gwen sighs. "Yeah, it's idiotic, but what can you say. Project Lilac is a goverment agency, the government is fucked when it comes to shit like this. I had to endure three summers in the boy's wing before I got it legally changed." She checks her clipboard. "Yeah, you're in the hall room, which is better, I guess. You've got two roommates and a private bathroom."

"It's 2020! The fuck? I'd rather sleep in the rain than in that monstrosity."

Gwen kneels down next to you and makes eye contact, which you reciprocate by staring at her nose."Trust me, I was in the both. At least the girl's wing doesn't look like a Jackson Pollock painting under a blacklight." That gets half a chuckle from you, and you reluctantly grab your Batman suitcase and drag it down the girl's wing (and your wing now, you suppose) hallway to the very last door on the left. Gwen knocks. "Hey, new kid comin' in. Don't eat his bones." A tall girl opens the door a crack and extends her hand. You saw her outside, sitting by the sidelines and holding a purple skateboard like it was her only hope. You shake her hand and she opens the door wider.

"Ered. She/her. Don't touch my shit and I won't disembowel you." You like her already. She gestures to a bed in the corner across from the other two, tucked into its own nook. "There's your digs. It's next to the bathroom air vent but we got here first so your loss, I guess." The bed creaks under the weight of your suitcase and you go to work unpacking your shit into the dresser at the end of your bed when another person explodes from the bathroom door.

"ERED! Do I use shampoo or conditioner first?"

"Shampoo, man. You say pros and cons, not cons and pros, so the conditioner comes last."

"Thanks!" They rush Into the room, then pop back into your area, crosslegged on your bed.

"Oh, a new roomie! I'm Nerris, like a nerris wheel. They/them, 20th level split-class sorcerer/bard, with an unlimited number of spell slots for casting teleportation."

"I'm Max and I want you off my bed."

They comply, appearing on the floor at the foot of your bed. They flop onto their back, which causes one of their elf ears to fall off onto the floor.

"So I heard you don't have any powers? What's up with that?" Ered looks up from her phone long enough to nod and chime in. "Yeah, can you really not do anything?"

You sit down on your bed and huff. "Look, it's not that complicated. The test came back positive for the X-gene but I've developed jack shit. No laser beams, no whatever the hell that kid with the pink hair was doing to the grass, no duplicating myself. No powers. That's it." Ered laughs. "Someone's salty."  
"Nah, I'm just looking forward to seeing you guys fail miserably and filing it away to bring up later when we're--when you're full fledged heroes."

"Not me, man. I'm gonna ace whatever they'll throw at me."

Ered's voice comes from above you, and you look up to see her crosslegged on the ceiling, hair dangling within an inch of your face.

"God! Don't fucking do that!"

"Do what?," Nerris says from approximately two inches behind you.

You have got to get out of this place.


End file.
